enWashington State Senate Democratshttp://sdc.wastateleg.org
Wed, 29 Jul 2015 15:37:16 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.0.6Sen. Ranker: Cap on carbon a “big, necessary step in the right direction”http://sdc.wastateleg.org/blog/2015/07/29/sen-ranker-cap-on-carbon-a-big-necessary-step-in-the-right-direction/
http://sdc.wastateleg.org/blog/2015/07/29/sen-ranker-cap-on-carbon-a-big-necessary-step-in-the-right-direction/#commentsWed, 29 Jul 2015 15:37:16 +0000http://sdc.wastateleg.org/?p=1676“I applaud the governor for this decision. Washingtonians believe our state should be a leader in the fight against climate change and this move reinforces that position.

“The facts are clear. Climate change is real. Carbon emissions from human activities are causing it. And putting a hard cap on emissions is a big, necessary step in the right direction, but we must continue to do more.

“I continue to be disappointed in the false choice presented by Senate Republicans who continue to deny the science of climate change in the face of irrefutable proof. Washingtonians deserve clean air and safe roads and bridges – they can have both.

“The poison pill insisted on by Senate Republicans as part of the transportation plan prevents the governor from adopting low carbon fuel standards. If he does, critical transportation projects don’t get funded. Instead of buying into this false choice being proposed by the Republicans – safe roads or healthy communities – the governor chose both.

“I am proud of the decision made by the governor today supporting our state’s commitment toward combatting climate change despite opposition from a vocal minority and their oil industry allies.”

]]>http://sdc.wastateleg.org/blog/2015/07/29/sen-ranker-cap-on-carbon-a-big-necessary-step-in-the-right-direction/feed/0Bill passes, up to 2,000 high school seniors to receive diplomashttp://sdc.wastateleg.org/blog/2015/07/09/bill-passesup-to-2000-high-school-seniors-to-receive-diplomas/
http://sdc.wastateleg.org/blog/2015/07/09/bill-passesup-to-2000-high-school-seniors-to-receive-diplomas/#commentsFri, 10 Jul 2015 02:12:02 +0000http://sdc.wastateleg.org/?p=1658Passage of Senate Bill 6145 will help up to 2,000 Washington high school seniors who met all their graduation requirements, except for passing the state’s high-stakes biology assessment. (TRT: 46) CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

A high-stakes biology assessment nearly closed the door for up to 2,000 Washington high school seniors who wouldn’t have been able to receive their high school diplomas because of the failed test. Sen. Karen Fraser of Thurston County sponsored the bill to delay the state’s biology assessment as a graduation requirement for the next two years.

On Monday, the Senate passed a $38.2 billion dollar biennial budget that makes much-needed investments in education, restores recession-era cuts to the safety net, and makes higher education more affordable. Sen. Jim Hargrove of Hoquiam, the lead Democratic budget negotiator, has been working to find a solution that addresses the needs of Washingtonians.

Sen. Hargrove also expressed concern that the state has not addressed its overreliance on property tax levies to fund the education system. The budget passed in the Senate, 38 to 10 and passed in the House 90 to 8. The budget will now head to the governor to be signed before the end of the fiscal year on Tuesday, June 30.

In a landmark decision that will finally secure marriage rights for all couples, the Court ruled state bans on same-sex marriages across the country unconstitutional under the Fourteenth Amendment, effectively granting couples in all 50 states the right to marry.

Washington voters approved marriage equality in 2012.

In response, Sen. Jamie Pedersen issued following statement:

“Because of today’s decision, the relationships of couples and families all across our country will now be legally protected and respected. I am proud of the role that Washington’s legislature and voters played in the rapid and dramatic progress that our country has made toward the promise of equality for all. I’m grateful for the bipartisan support that allowed our Legislature to become the first in the country to repeal a state instituted Defense of Marriage Act.”

Sen. Marko Liias also issued a statement:

“Today, the age-old promise of liberty and justice for all became more real for millions of Americans — including me. This is a historic day for gay and lesbian families. The Supreme Court has affirmed once and for all that our love is just as sacred and deserves equal treatment under the law.”

In recognition of today’s decision, the Tacoma and Seattle communities are hosting events and discussions on marriage equality.

Tacoma

Rainbow Center and Oasis at 5:00 p.m.

March to Union Station Federal Court House

2215 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, WA 98402

Seattle

United States District Court at 5:00 p.m.

700 Stewart St, Seattle, WA 98101

]]>http://sdc.wastateleg.org/blog/2015/06/26/pedersen-supreme-court-ruling-affirms-the-promise-of-equality-for-all/feed/0WHY DEMOCRATS OPPOSE A SHUTDOWN – Negative impacts on kids, schoolshttp://sdc.wastateleg.org/blog/2015/06/23/why-democrats-oppose-a-shutdown-negative-impacts-on-kids-schools/
http://sdc.wastateleg.org/blog/2015/06/23/why-democrats-oppose-a-shutdown-negative-impacts-on-kids-schools/#commentsTue, 23 Jun 2015 22:56:03 +0000http://sdc.wastateleg.org/?p=1629While some services are protected by constitutional or federal mandates, a government shutdown would still hurt people in communities across our state in more ways than you can imagine. Washington children would lose early learning and child care services they count on to help them come to school ready to learn, and school districts may struggle to pay their bills and prepare for the coming school year.

The impact on school districts will vary widely from district to district. Districts without large fund balances may struggle to pay the bills if the state’s July apportionment is delayed. The lack of a state budget will make it more difficult for all districts to determine their own budgets for the coming year.
This will make it harder for school districts to hire new teachers, order new technology, make decisions on new curriculum, finalize staff development programs, secure special education programs, or negotiate with unions. Schools currently under construction will not receive state reimbursements, potentially delaying or suspending construction.

The Dept. of Early Learning will suspend most services, including the Working Connections Child Care Program, which will significantly impact the nearly 30,000 families who rely on WCCC to help pay for child care so that parents can work, search for a job, or complete job readiness activities.
This will affect the child care providers who serve these families. Statewide, there will be only two employees to respond to complaints and emergencies in licensed child care facilities. A third employee will be on-call. The licensing and inspection of child care facilities will be suspended.

Democrats are committed to avoiding a state government shutdown by passing a responsible compromise budget before July 1, but we can’t do it alone. We call on Republicans to join us in the middle to protect Washington children and families from an unnecessary and harmful shutdown.

— Sen. Andy Billig

]]>http://sdc.wastateleg.org/blog/2015/06/23/why-democrats-oppose-a-shutdown-negative-impacts-on-kids-schools/feed/0Compromise budget framework could help avoid a government shutdownhttp://sdc.wastateleg.org/blog/2015/06/19/compromise-budget-framework-could-help-avoid-a-government-shutdown/
http://sdc.wastateleg.org/blog/2015/06/19/compromise-budget-framework-could-help-avoid-a-government-shutdown/#commentsSat, 20 Jun 2015 00:35:07 +0000http://sdc.wastateleg.org/?p=1622OLYMPIA – Gov. Jay Inslee proposed a compromise budget framework that could help create a budget deal and avoid a state government shutdown. (TRT: 38) CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

On Friday, Senate Democrats agreed with a compromise budget framework proposed by Gov. Jay Inslee. The framework proposes to take new taxes off the table contingent upon closing a number of tax loopholes. Senate Democratic Leader Sharon Nelson of Maury Island continues to work towards a budget agreement.

Without an Operating Budget, the state faces a partial government shutdown if no budget deal is reached by July 1.

At the state capitol in Olympia, Nicole Vukonich.

]]>http://sdc.wastateleg.org/blog/2015/06/19/compromise-budget-framework-could-help-avoid-a-government-shutdown/feed/0Bipartisan lawmakers introduce education finance proposalhttp://sdc.wastateleg.org/blog/2015/06/11/bipartisan-lawmakers-introduce-education-finance-proposal/
http://sdc.wastateleg.org/blog/2015/06/11/bipartisan-lawmakers-introduce-education-finance-proposal/#commentsFri, 12 Jun 2015 01:25:29 +0000http://sdc.wastateleg.org/?p=1605OLYMPIA – A group of bipartisan lawmakers on Thursday introduced Senate Bill 6130, a bill that establishes a framework to address the state’s need to reduce its reliance on local school levies to pay for basic education. (TRT: 66) CLICK TO DOWNLOADhttp://sdc.wastateleg.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/6-11-15_education-funding-plan-Mixdown-1.mp3

That’s lead Democratic education negotiator, Sen. Christine Rolfes of Kitsap County who, with a bipartisan group of senators, introduced a plan on Thursday to help address the state’s need to reduce its reliance on local school levies to pay for basic education. The plan will transfer the burden from local communities to the state for funding competitive state-wide teacher salaries. The bill recognizes the need for additional revenue, yet sponsors have not identified a revenue source. Sen. Rolfes:

]]>http://sdc.wastateleg.org/blog/2015/06/11/bipartisan-lawmakers-introduce-education-finance-proposal/feed/0Sen. Nelson: Improving revenue positive, but work still remains to craft a bipartisan, sustainable and fair budgethttp://sdc.wastateleg.org/blog/2015/05/18/sen-nelson-improving-revenue-positive-but-work-still-remains-to-craft-a-bipartisan-sustainable-and-fair-budget/
http://sdc.wastateleg.org/blog/2015/05/18/sen-nelson-improving-revenue-positive-but-work-still-remains-to-craft-a-bipartisan-sustainable-and-fair-budget/#commentsMon, 18 May 2015 23:11:43 +0000http://sdc.wastateleg.org/?p=1585Senate Democratic Leader Sharon Nelson issued the statement below following the release of the state’s revenue forecast:

“I was very pleased to learn our state’s revenues are expected to increase. This is further proof that our economy is improving and that Washington is shaking off the effects of the Great Recession.

“Senate Democrats advocated for an earlier forecast and now I hope this will help push budget negotiations across the finish line and the legislature can complete its work as soon as possible.

“While this is good news, I think we should all still be cautiously optimistic. A strong revenue forecast may help alleviate our budget anxiety this time; that may not be the case next time.

“It’s not enough for us to just get through this special session with another down payment on McCleary – we need to be able to fund education forever, with the sustainable and dedicated funding that the Supreme Court demanded and our children deserve. We can’t count on getting a good revenue forecast late in special session every two years. That kind of thinking is what got us to this point, where we are in contempt of court for failing to fund basic education.

“Washington’s tax structure is the most unfair in the country, we know that. Until we establish a more diverse revenue system that asks everyone to pay their fair share and establish dedicated revenue sources, I fear we will continue to write budgets with our fingers crossed.

“It’s good news that this uptick in revenue will help fill some of the holes in the Senate Republican budget. But when you start adding up the problems – $200 million taken from the public works trust fund, $4 million worth of cuts to courts, $75 million below what state employees are due to earn and the underfunding of foster care, food assistance and mental health programs to name a few – new revenue evaporates in a hurry.

“An improvement in the revenue forecast is absolutely a positive development, but it doesn’t fix bad policy or an unsustainable budget. Only dedicated and fair revenue sources can do that. This forecast will help us reach a bipartisan budget agreement, but we still have work left to do.”

Reducing the state’s carbon emissions has been a focus of the governor and several lawmakers since before the legislative session began in January. On Monday, Sen. Jim Hargrove of Hoquiam offered an alternative plan that would benefit the environment, K-12 education, and rural economic development.

Money generated by the auction of carbon pollution would also add $500 million to invest in our state’s K-12 education system, and would create a Working Forests and Local Mills economic development program. The legislation includes protections ensuring costs won’t be passed on to consumers at the gas pump.

Nicole Vukonich reporting in Olympia.

]]>http://sdc.wastateleg.org/blog/2015/05/11/alternative-plan-aims-to-reduce-carbon-emissions-and-create-jobs-in-rural-areas/feed/0New proposal targets carbon reduction, rural economic growthhttp://sdc.wastateleg.org/blog/2015/05/11/new-proposal-targets-carbon-reduction-rural-economic-growth/
http://sdc.wastateleg.org/blog/2015/05/11/new-proposal-targets-carbon-reduction-rural-economic-growth/#commentsMon, 11 May 2015 18:14:12 +0000http://sdc.wastateleg.org/?p=1575OLYMPIA – As legislators continue work to come to an agreement on the state operating budget and a funding solution for schools, work has continued to refine the Carbon Pollution Accountability Act, which could provide as much as $500 million annually for the general fund while also reducing harmful carbon pollution. Today, a new proposal was introduced that will help reduce pollution, fund education and other vital services and boost Washington’s rural economy.

This Thursday, May 14, the House Appropriations Committee will hear a new proposed substitute to House Bill 1314, offered by Rep. Larry Springer (D-Kirkland). The proposal places a firm cap on carbon pollution while ensuring economic opportunity and job creation across all of Washington. In conjunction with this effort, Senator Jim Hargrove (D-Hoquiam) is introducing a similar bill, SB 6121.

“This is no longer just a climate change bill. This is a rural job creation and recreational access bill that helps reduce the state’s carbon emissions,” Hargrove said. “This program will create thousands of jobs in the renewable resource industry, including our working forests that sequester carbon while at the same time reducing emissions.”

“This new draft proposal advances our goal to reduce carbon emissions so we can have a safe environment while at the same time addressing the major concerns raised by impacted businesses,” said Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon (D-Burien), the prime sponsor of House Bill 1314 and chair of the House Environment Committee. “This new draft is a win-win,” said Fitzgibbon. “It generates about $1.2 billion annually, of which $500 million per year would go to funding our K-12 education system. And it does so by reducing pollution and being responsive to the needs of our economy.”

During two hearings held on an earlier proposal (HB 1314) in January, House Environment Committee members heard from businesses about the impacts of the legislation. Changes in the latest version include significant economic development for rural Washington and additional mitigation of price impacts on competitive industries and rebates to avoid increased costs associated with transportation fuels.

“This proposal asks the polluters to pay while putting us on track to ensure Washington State remains a leader in the fight against climate change,” Sen. Kevin Ranker (D-Orcas Island), said. “It would be difficult to find two more critical issues than education funding and climate change. This plan addresses both needs and does it in a thoughtful way. Asking polluters to pay more for their impact on our communities while supporting education and the environment is a victory we can all claim.”

The money generated by the auction of carbon pollution allowances would be used for:

$500 million to invest in our K-12 education system.

$333 million in fuel supplier rebates to limit increases in fuel prices.

$108 million for the Working Families Tax Rebate, ensuring that low income families are not unfairly impacted.

Tax credits for bulk transporters of agricultural products and for mills that generate new jobs.

Starting in 2017, establishing a $70 million grant program to address cumulative environmental impacts and social and economic disparities.

In addition to economic investments, the new proposal will also increase access to recreational land. This will ensure that Washingtonians and visitors can affordably enjoy our forests and natural lands.

“I think this finds the sweet spot between environmental stewardship, support for rural working families and the interests of the industries impacted,” said Hargrove. “At this point, all options have to be on the table. When people take a closer look, they will realize that this can be a big part of the solution for the people and natural resources in this state.”